Seafarers’ happiness at lowest ebb
According to the recently-published Seafarers Happiness Index for 2021, mariners’ happiness has reached an all-time low, driven by the extra strain of spending months aboard without any shore time as Covid-19 restrictions bite.
Standard Club has thus warned that seafarer discontent could cause problems in the future. A serious recruitment and retention crisis is looming, unless governments and ship managers take steps to allow more shore time and improve conditions on board ships.
“We’re sleepwalking to a manning crisis,” warns Yves Vandenborn, director of loss prevention at Standard Club. “Resentment is brewing amongst this critical workforce due to inadequate shore leave, the uncertain duration of trips, draconian Covid-19 testing and a general lack of recognition.” (cj)